About Flash content

Macromedia's Flash technology is the premier solution for the delivery of vector-based graphics and animations. Flash Player is available as both a Netscape Navigator plugin and an ActiveX control for Microsoft Internet Explorer on the PC, and it is incorporated in the latest versions of Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Windows, and America Online. Before you use the Flash commands available in Dreamweaver, you may want to review the three different Flash file types.

The Flash file (.fla) is the source file for any project and is created in the Flash program. This type of file can only be opened in Flash, not in Dreamweaver or in browsers. You can open the Flash file in Flash, then export it as an SWF or SWT file to use in browsers. For more information, see Using Flash button objects and Creating new button templates.

The Flash movie file (.swf) is a compressed version of the Flash (.fla) file, optimized for viewing on the Web. This file can be played back in browsers and previewed in Dreamweaver, but cannot be edited in Flash. This is the type of file you create when using the Flash button and text objects. For more information, see Using Flash button objects and Using Flash text objects.

The Flash Generator template (.swt) files enable you to modify and replace information in a Flash movie file. These files are used in the Flash button object, which lets you modify the template with your own text or links, to create a custom SWF to insert in your document. In Dreamweaver, these template files can be found in the Dreamweaver/Configuration/Flash Objects/Flash Buttons and Flash Text folders.

If you use Flash to design your own Generator template files (see Creating new button templates), you can distribute these templates to members of your Web design team. They in turn can save these files to the Configuration/Flash Objects/Flash Buttons folder, then access these templates using the Flash button object.